France was asked to show ‘restraint and respect the basic principle’ of non-interference
A spokesperson for Mali’s transitional junta government has reiterated the demand for Danish troops to leave the country and taken a swipe at the country’s former colonial overlords.
Speaking late Wednesday to news broadcaster ORTM1, Abdoulaye Maiga warned the Danes about France’s “colonial reflexes.” Denmark had previously sent 105 military personnel to the West African nation as part of a French-run counterterrorism unit.
“We invite them [the Danes] to be careful about some partners who sadly have problems getting rid of their colonial reflexes,” Maiga said, again rejecting claims that the Danish troops were there legally.
“We invite [Armed Forces Minister Florence] Parly to show restraint and respect the basic principle of not interfering in the domestic affairs of a state,” Maiga added.
Parly had previously accused the junta of provocation amid dispute over the presence of the European Takuba Task Force, which was set up to help the west African nation fight Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) and Al-Qaeda militants.
“No accord authorizes the deployment of Danish special forces to the Takuba Task Force,” the Malian government said in a statement. It denies ever responding to a request from Denmark in June to deploy troops.
